Symbols of defeat in the construction of national identity

Cover; Symbols of Defeat in the Construction of National Identity; Title; Copyright; Contents; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1 Theories of Nations and Nationalism; Modernism and Ernest Gellner; The Limits of Modernism; Ethnosymbolism and Anthony Smith; The Limits of Ethnosymbolism; Symbols of Defeat: Authenticity and Modernity; The Nation as a Surrogate Religion; 2 Totem Sacrifice and National Identity; Totem Violence and Social Order; The Function of Sacrificial Ritual and Myth; Religion, Nation, and State; Theories of Nations and Nationalism Revisited.

If nationalism is the assertion of legitimacy for a nation and its effectiveness as a political entity, why do many nations emphasize images of their own defeat in understanding their history? Using Israel, Serbia, France, Greece and Ghana as examples, the author argues that this phenomenon exposes the ambivalence that lurks behind the passions nationalism evokes. Symbols of defeat glorify a nation's ancient past, while reenacting the destruction of that past as a necessary step in constructing a functioning modern society. As a result, these symbols often assume a foundational role in national mythology. Threats to such symbols are perceived as threats to the nation itself and consequently are met with desperation difficult for outsiders to understand